Rating: Summary: What happened to my favorite author? Review: I am so dissapointed in Blow Fly. It seems like P.C. rushed thru the writing of this book. I am only 3/4 of the way thru and I can't wait to be done with it. The content is very graphic and violent and is not the creative work we are used to from P.C. There is no character development, because she is recycling the old characters, the chapters are only 2 to 2 pages long which makes the book very choppy and there is no "meat" to the storyline.I hope P.C. has a better book in the works. I used to wait with baited breath for her latest novel to come out and would shell out the $$ for the hardcover. I think I'll wait for her next one to come out on paperback.
Rating: Summary: Better than expected - Review: I've read a slew of negative reviews of Blow Fly, but I bought it anyway. I read it through in two evenings. It's a Scarpetta book, I had no choice but to read it because I need to know what's next in life for Kay, Marino, and Lucy. Yes, this story is written in third person and that's hard to get used to. Kay is only one of several main characters this time. The most important player is Benton, who I just CANNOT have any sympathy for. We've suffered along with Kay through 4 novels; she cannot let go of him. Now we find out that Marino and Lucy both helped him fake his death, the only two people that Kay trusts.... both betrayed her. But, it's wrapped up nicely in the final few pages when Benton explains why, and his expanation was plausible, so I garnered up a little sympathy for him..... we'll see how he and Kay interact in the next novel.
Rating: Summary: A pathetic attempt. Review: This so called book was a pathetic attempt to milk money from Cornwall's loyal readers. The only reason she wrote this garbage was she needed the money. The publishers went along with because of greed. This book was short choppy gobbledygook. What was this with 90 million 3 or 4 page chapters. Cornwall wrote her own death warrant for this series when she killed off a main character. This was a pathetic attempt to "write" that wrong. She has lost this loyal reader for good. Hasn't she heard of letting the hero riding off into the sunset. Let's hope she has learned her lesson.
Rating: Summary: I guess some readers just don't get it. Review: Although I read these reviews frequently, I am now (for the first time) prompted to write! I want to scream, "It's the characters, stupid!" As a huge Cornwell/Scarpetta fan, I was leary about reading this book due to the poor reviews. Admittedly, this one seems to have a "style" different from the ones in the past, the focus being on the characters more than usual. (Usually, the focus is on the "action.") I really thought Cornwell did a fine job here. I was glued to the book like I usually am to a Cornwell/Scarpetta story. So I respectfully disagree with the negative reviews. For the first time, I'm glad I didn't adhere to the advice.
Rating: Summary: A really awful book Review: BLOW FLY A really awful book We got this book on tape on sale at Sam's Club to keep us awake on a 14 hour drive. To see what the book was about, we read the first page of a paper copy. It sounded a lot like the TV program CSI. This is an alert that book is not like CSI and deserves an R rating for language, violence, and sexual content. My main problem with the book is that it is too gross, wordy, and slow-moving. There are too many banal similes and too much boring detail. There is also too much extended, graphic descriptions of sex and violence. After six hours of it I was attempting to fast forward through the second digression into the thoughts of one of the psychopathic killers. The first time we were dragged through what he intended to do to his next victim. That was more than enough to convince me that he was crazy and awful. I didn't need the later diversion into his memories of victims past and what he did to them. I wanted to like the main character, but she did not appear often and was rather pitiful due to losing her job as the result of making a bad mistake at the end of the previous book. I wanted to like at least two other characters, but they turned out to be people who often behaved in ways that were not to like. We finally gave up on the book. Since the author had by then set up two characters with plans that were converging to impact the main character, I wondered how the story ended. Surely it had to end badly for many of the characters, since they were mostly behaving badly. I thought I could find out how the plot worked out by looking in a printed copy in a book store. However, what would normally be a rather large display of the book was sold out. I could not understand how such an awful book could be selling so well, so I read the reviews on Amazon. I found that many fans of the author's previous books in the series bought the book but hated it. Most telling was that they also hated the ending. One reviewer described throwing the book across the room out of disgust with the ending. At that point I did not care about the ending any more.
Rating: Summary: What? No Scarpetta? What is Cornwell thinking? Review: But, but, but...well, damn. Scarpetta really is not in Blowfly. Instead, Cornwell turns the spotlight over to her smart-mouthed, perennially angry niece and Marino, the perennially angry cop. Toss in a few psychopaths from previous books, several plot lines that Cornwell is a little too obviously struggling to keep under control, and some gruesome details, however, and it's still pretty good...tho I DO miss Scarpetta and her sassy lines and Attitude with a capital A.
Rating: Summary: Blow Fly Review: After spending three days reading this book, I simply cannot tell you how annoyed I was at the ending and the book in general without foaming at the mouth. Of all the lazy ass, stupid, arrogant ways to end a book. I'm so grateful this was a free book club book, otherwise I'd be utterly pissed if I shelled out the full price for admission. Who in their right mind thinks the reader will not be upset if you allow most of the action to occur off the page, while leaving major story threads dangling? This book was poorly planned, poorly written, and so shortchanged fans that I can't imagine myself ever reading another book in the series. For my part, this book is the end of Scarpetta's journey. I wanted to leave zero stars for this book, but unfortunately Amazon won't let you post without a star rating of at least one, which is far more generous than I feel at the moment!
Rating: Summary: A Grave Disappointment Review: Sadly, the negative reviews are justified; Cornwell's latest in the Scarpetta series remains a grave disappointment. Essential scenes (which I cannot divulge here in repect to those who have not yet read this book) are given short shrift while less important scenes are highlighted. At times, Scarpetta appears as bloodless as the cadavers which she examines! Indeed, much of the novel does not ring true--it is as if those characters that we have come to know and enjoy reading about have de-evolved into caricatures. It is truly a shame because Cornwell is a first- rate writer. Perhaps her next book will help shed some light on the myriad of questions that Blow Fly leaves unanswered (along with this reader scratching her head in bewilderment).
Rating: Summary: Leaves a lot to be desired Review: I have read all of Patricia Cornwells novels and I have never felt as if I desired anything more from them. They always hold my attention and interest. I find them facinating. As I started this book my usual mode of constant page turning quickly turned into looking for reason to put down the book...I just could not get into it. I was bored. Then ending just seemed abrupt and did not make any since to me. It was predictable and slow. I have the upmost faith that Cornwell will redeem herself in the next novel...I hope anyway.
Rating: Summary: Blow Fly Review: I too have been a fan of Patricia Cornwell's series featuring Kay Scarpetta. After reading The Last Precint, I could not wait to read her new novel, Blow Fly. I was extremely disappointed that Patricia Cornwell decided to write in 3rd person. It made the storyline, and the characters in the book not seem so real anymore. I always felt that the way Patricia Cornwell wrote her Scarpetta series, made you feel like you knew the characters, but she has definitely lost the plot with this new writing style. Usually it takes me 2 days to finish one of her books, this time it took 2 weeks. I loved the ending, but felt more needed to said to lead up to the reunion between Benton & Kay. Patricia - I hope your next book is a vast improvement, it seems like you have disappointed many fans.
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